Sister Ulla-Mariam Hoffmann's working day at our partner hospital St' Wallburgs Hospital in Nyangao(Tanzania) started at 7:30 am. The experienced palliative care physician from the Artemed Clinic in Tutzing was working for the foundation for the sixth time.

This type of regular visit is extremely important for the collaboration for a variety of reasons. Firstly, it greatly shortens the initial familiarization period: the work process, most of the people and the premises are already known, so you can very quickly get involved in the day-to-day work here. In addition, there is no initial distance or even suspicion between the colleagues on site and the participants. The employees at the hospital know what they have in Dr. Hoffmann, know her expertise and can assess it well in advance. Of course, this helps enormously to plan work tasks well in advance and maximizes the efficiency of such a stay.

However, regular visits are also important for the doctor as one of her main long-term tasks is to further develop the clinic's hygiene and emergency management. The frequent visits enable her to see whether the measures introduced are being implemented or where further training or improvements may be necessary. This year, for example, she was primarily assigned to the operating theater. There, she was able to see that many things were already being implemented well, and minor "weak points" were largely rectified immediately.

However, the social component also plays a very important role: This is the only way to establish a basis of trust and work together as equals to achieve joint progress. Sustainable development work means that the positive development in such a hospital comes from internal restructuring and an internal rethink: only impulses and helpful impulses should come from outside.

Due to the simultaneous visit by other representatives of Artemed Stiftung, the time was also used to plan a conversion. As hygiene naturally has to be taken into account in construction measures, Dr. Hoffmann's input and opinion were greatly appreciated for this project.

Even though the doctor naturally enjoyed her time with the large team and is aware of the importance of the joint stay, she regrets a little that the presence of the other guests meant that the cozy evenings with the Tanzanian doctors in small groups were neglected. "These conversations are very important," says Sister Ulla-Mariam, "as many things can be discussed here on a different level."

Further assignments for the doctor are already being planned - and then there will certainly be more time for calm and groundbreaking discussions.